Man who faked law degree spared jail

Jobless offender caught out forging certificate from university in Egypt

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A fraudster who submitted a forged degree certificate to authorities in the UAE has been spared jail.

The Emirati man, 39, claimed he had taken a distance-learning law course offered by Ain Shams University in Egypt in 2015.

But he was caught out after submitting the bogus qualifications to the Ministry of Education last June - as it was soon discovered the course did not exist.

The certificate appeared to carry the university's stamp and signatures from its administration staff.

The Egyptian Embassy, however, informed ministry officials that the certificate was not legitimate.

The university later clarified in an official letter that the course the man claimed to have taken did not exist.

Police were alerted and the jobless offender was arrested.

He denied charges of forging an official document with the help of an unknown man and of using the forged document when he first appeared before Dubai Criminal Court earlier this month.

It was not disclosed in records If the man had practiced law in the country since he obtained the degree three years ago.

The accused was convicted of both charges and was sentenced to three months in prison, which the court ordered to be suspended.